In the first three decades of our troop it was an NRA club as well.  The SM owned a ranch and it had an arroyo.  He built a range in the arroyo where the scouts trained.  We still have remnants of that in historical items, including an interesting journal of names and scores, along with ammunition used.  Sam also ran the local camp range for years, and then someone else from the troop took it over.  During WWII, all the members that went in the service were marksmen or experts.   Below is an interesting target that apparently was used during the War years.  I have no idea where it came from, other than it was in a file.  

Sadly, that would truly not surprise me in the least.  So many of our challenges relate directly to people being too self-centered or simply completely clueless.  That, of course brings us back to why Scouting IS still important, if we could just work the basic programs with arm distant adult mentoring.  Oh, and lock the lawyers up unless they have a valid reason to be let out.  If our society would simply "live the twelve" and see that foundation for what it still is, and was with a few sad exceptions, we would maybe be better off.  But blinders seem to have taken over the role of glasses and sunglasses.  

May 11, 2024, Mississippi Valley Council : ADAMS COUNTY, Ill.  - An ammunition shed at Saukenauk Scout Reservation’s shotgun range caught fire Thursday, destroying $8,000 of ammo. Mississippi Valley Council Scout Executive Ricci Dula said the shed, constructed as a Wood Badge project, was gutted leaving debris on the range. Only leaders and the reservation’s ranger were onsite at the time. “We’re still determining the cause of the fire,” Dula said. “Nobody was harmed or at any risk of being harmed. The Mendon Fire Department did an exemplary job; the fire could have been considerably worse. It was about 25 feet away from a propane tank and another structure.”  (One report said the cause was burning trash. ) The fire also wiped out Camp Saukenauk’s supply of guns, some of which were used during the Sporting Clays for Scouts event on Wednesday... More at sources including video and photos: https://www.whig.com/news/fire-destroys-scout-reservation-s-ammo-shed/article_66b960ba-0f1f-11ef-a825-0f9c306f606e.html https://www.wgem.com/2024/05/11/camp-saukenauk-ammunition-building-destroyed-fire/

Stage 1 .... We are well past this now, but were there in the 80s and 90s.... Another characteristic of stage one decline is the loss of the adventurous, open-minded, searching orientation for continuous learning. Answers are believed to be found in the years of experience, which might be useful, yet often can be blinding in new situations. Typically, generational and positional gaps present themselves with one-up-man-ship dynamics by those with positional power or organizational tenure. The past filters the present so that a true future cannot be created without showing “due” and “respect” for those that lived the past. Clearly, an issue of pride.

2 gold devices. Or here's a wacky thought... ask the Scout to read the requirements and tell you what he thinks he has earned!